Offender profiling is an investigative tool used to narrow down the range of potential suspects for a crime by predicting the personality, behavioral, and demographic characteristics that an offender is likely to possess, based upon information collected at the crime scene. While offender profiling has been popularized by TV shows and movies such as Criminal Minds, Silence of the Lambs, and Mindhunter, the real-world impact of offender profiling is largely unknown. This book discusses the history of offender profiling, summarizes research on offender profiling methods, and reviews offender profiling evaluations of accuracy and applied impact. This book also describes a promising new offender profiling methodology called evidence-based offender profiling. This new method relies upon empirical data and scientific methods to develop, evaluate, and replicate offender profiles, thereby increasing offender profiling’s accuracy and utility for active police investigations. It uses prior information about statistical regularities between types of offenders and types of offenses to predict the characteristics of offenders in unsolved cases. A discussion of the future of offender profiling research and implications for law enforcement is also included. This book also explains how practitioners can benefit from the use of empirically tested and validated profiles in their unsolved investigations and how the use, continued research, and evaluation of evidence-based offender profiling can advance the quality, prestige, and utility of the field of offender profiling.

George B. Palermo is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology, Medical College of Wisconsin; Adjunct Professor of Criminology and Law Studies, Department of Cultural and Social Sciences, Marquette University; Director, Center for Forensic Psychiatry and Risk Assessment, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Focused on Behavioral Evidence Analysis (BEA), a method of criminal profiling developed and refined by the author over the past 15 years, the fourth edition of Criminal Profiling maintains the same core foundation that made previous editions best sellers in the professional and academic community worldwide. Written from practicing behavioral analysts and aspiring students alike, this work emphasizes an honest understanding of crime and criminals. Newly updated, mechanisms for the examination and classification of both victim and offender behavior have been improved. In addition to refined approaches towards victimology, crime scene analysis, motivation and case linkage, a chapter on sexual deviance has been added as well. With prior edition in wide use as a primary text in criminal justice, law, criminology, and behavioral science programs around the world, Criminal Profiling, Fourth Edition remains essential for students and professionals alike. - Outlines the scientific principles and practice standards of BEA-oriented criminal profiling, with an emphasis on applying theory to real cases - Contributing authors from law enforcement, academic, mental health and forensic science communities provide a balance perspective - Complete glossary of key termsCompanion Web site includes all appendices from previous volumes and figure collection at http://www.elsevierdirect.com/companions/9780123852434 - Manual Web site provides an instructor's manual for each chapter, powerpoint slideshows, and case reports from Brent Turvey's work

This ground-breaking text is the first to provide a detailed overview of Investigative Psychology, from the earliest work through to recent studies, including descriptions of previously unpublished internal reports. Crucially it provides a framework for students to explore this exciting terrain, combining Narrative Theory and an Action Systems framework. It includes empirically tested models for Offender Profiling and guidance for investigations, as well as an agenda for research in Investigative Psychology. Investigative Psychology features: The full range of crimes from fraud to terrorism, including burglary, serial killing, arson, rape, and organised crime Important methodologies including multi-dimensional scaling and the Radex approach as well as Social Network Analysis Geographical Offender Profiling, supported by detailed analysis of the underlying psychological processes that make this such a valuable investigative decision support tool The full range of investigative activities, including effective information collection, detecting deception and the development of decision support systems. In effect, this text introduces an exciting new paradigm for a wide range of psychological contributions to all forms of investigation within and outside of law enforcement. Each chapter has actual cases and quotations from offenders and ends with questions for discussion and research, making this a valuable text for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Applied and Forensic Psychology, Criminology, Socio-Legal Studies and related disciplines.

Offender Profiling and Crime Analysis provides a highly readable account of the subject, and a picture of profiling which by no means accords with popular views and representations of what is involved. The book provides an overview of profiling techniques, offering some fascinating insights into the various approaches to profiling, and schools of thought, which have emerged − looking particularly at the work of the FBI, and of British and Dutch profilers.

Most incidents of violent crime occur between people who know each other, but in other cases (fortunately much less frequent) there are no obvious ties between the victim and the criminal, and these cases cause a great deal of social fear and uncertainty. They also result in large-scale, costly investigations and, increasingly, police are collaborating with other professionals in a process of offender profiling which might help their investigation. This book is a substantial, unique and critical account of the scope and practice of offender profiling, and its limitations. Professionals worldwide, from psychiatry, psychology, criminology and policing, have contributed accounts of their experience and knowledge across a range of approaches to offender profiling. Some use a clinical approach, based on the application of established theories of personality and psychopathy. Others argue for the effectiveness of the objective analysis of offence records to predict future offending. Some of the police contributions provide a frank description of their methods, others address the difficult issues relating to the use of offender profiling. This is a controversial subject, full of potent myth, and the object of this book is to provide a cool overview of the related scientific knowledge, now spread over many journals and reports, as well as accounts of the process and difficulties of offender profiling. It will be useful and interesting to most scientists and professionals in the field of criminal justice. This book is in the Wiley Series in the Psychology of Crime, Policing and Law.

What exactly is criminal profiling and what are the different approaches used by police forces all over the world? Best selling writer David E. Malocco, author of Forensic Science: Crime Scene Analysis and How to Commit the Perfect Murder has published the fourth book in the hugely successful Student Guides Simplified series. Following on from A Brief History of Criminal Profiling which deals with the evolution of profiling this book discuses, examines and analyses four different approaches to criminal profiling. The Diagnostic Evaluation approach began in the 1950s with New York psychiatrist Dr. James Brussel being asked to input on two high profile cases, the Mad Bomber of New York, and the Boston Strangler. The first case proved to be a spectacular success with Brussel providing a classic text book profile right down to how the suspect dressed. But the failure of a high profile team of psychiatrists, psychologists and anthropologists to catch the Boston Strangler or even identify whether the authorities should be looking for one or more suspects damaged the credibility of the diagnostic evaluation approach. The FBI then decided that a retreat to good old classic detective work was necessary and from this the Crime Scene Analysis approach developed. The author examines three serial killer cases where this approach was used, Richard Trent Chase, Gary Ridgway and Dennis Rader. However, in respect of the above three case studies the profile for Richard Trenton Chase was accurate and the case was solved; the profile of Gary Ridgway was inaccurate and the profile did not lead to the arrest of the suspect; and in the Dennis Rader case the profile was ambiguous and it did not lead to the arrest of the suspect. The FBI continue to develop their model and currently take the lead in research on the development of criminal personality profiling. But, while the FBI model of profiling still remains highly influential, another form of profiling, emanating from Britain, and called investigative psychology (IP), pioneered by Professor David Canter, is now beginning to rival and some argue, surpass, the FBI approach. Investigative psychology is now the new kid on the block. The Investigative Psychology approach otherwise known as the statistical-research approach to criminal profiling, claims to be grounded in scientific methodology and, is based on the multivariate analysis of the behavioral and other crime scene data to infer the characteristics, and psychological process of the unsub. Meanwhile, the fourth approach, Geographical Profiling, pioneered by Kim Rossmo appears to be the front runner with Police agencies around the world using several major software programs to perform geographic profiling tasks, such as Rigel(r), Predator, CrimeStat, and Dragnet. These software programs can help in identifying if a series of crimes are linked, that is, carried out by the same offender or offenders. Each approach is examined in detail making this book an essential introduction to anyone studying or interested in criminal profilin